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Legal Updates Written by Bernie James


2025

SROs vs. "Outside Officers": School Safety & Fourth Amendment Searches

2024

Behavioral Science in Education: Threat Assessments, Student Rights, and School Safety Part II

Behavioral Science in Education: Threat Assessments, Student Rights, and School Safety

Legal Update: A Message From the Courts: Top Cases of 2023

2023

Off-Campus Student Speech Cases: A Post-Mahanoy Update - Fall 2023

School Safety Law Blog: News & Information for School Safety - Summer 2023

The Right to Privacy on Campus: Protecting Students from Teachers, Administrators, and School Staff Update - Spring 2023

2022

Unsafe Schools and Liability - Spring 2022

The Duty to Protect Students: Changes in the Underlying Law & School Liability - Fall 2022

 

2021

The First Amendment, Off Campus Speech, & School Safety

Qualified Immunity in Public Education

School Safety for Educators: Lessons Learned From COVID-19

 

2020

Free Speech: The First Amendment on Campuses in 2020

Message from the Courts: Top 2019 Cases

Restorative Justice Liability: Affirmative Duties and School Safety

 

2019

Student Speech and School Discipline: The Tipping Point

The SRO, Student Rights, and Excessive Force

Restorative Justice Liability: Affirmative Duties and School Safety

 

2018

School Safety and the Courts: Essential Cases for 2018

School Safety Legislative Reform 2018

The Evolving Fourth Amendment and Student Rights: Lessons From the 2018 Cases

School-Based Law Enforcement and "Bystander Liability"

 

2017

School Safety and the Courts: Top Cases of 2017

School Discipline Reform & Restorative Justice: A Policy Analysis

School Safety Legislative Reform Going Into 2017

The Educator-SRO Relationship: When is the Educator an Agent of Law Enforcement?


2016

Government Liability & The "Failure to Train" the School Resource Officer

School Safety Legal Reform: Top 10 Cases of 2016

School Safety Legislative Reform: 7 Top Concerns of Policymakers

The Discretion of Educators & Disciplinary Reform: Courts vs. the Reformers


2015

Arming School Personnel: School Safety Reform & Liability

Body Worn Cameras: Student Privacy Rights and Video Surveillance

Excessive Force & SRO Liability

Message from the Courts: Legal Update on 2014-2015 Top Cases


2014

Legal Update: Riley v. California - Guidance on School Safety, Cell Phones and Student Privacy

The Courts and Safe Schools Reform: Emerging Guidance on Student Rights

The Leading Student Speech Standard: Reasonable Forecast of Substantial Disruption

When Liability Strikes: The Rule of Law & Student Rights


2013

Policy Reform After Newtown: The SRO and the Student's Right to a Safe Campus

Safe School Policies, Liability and the School Resource Officer

School Safety Legal Reform: The Year 2013


2012

Selective Enforcement: Lessons Learned from Discrimination Cases

State v. Meneese: Warrants, SROs, and the MOU

Suspicionless Student Searches: When, Why, and How?

The Truth: Behind the School-to-Prison Pipeline Dispute


2011

Applying the "Safford" Rule in Strip Searches

Gangs: Take a Fresh Look at Your Campus Policies

School Liability & Excessive Force

The Supreme Court, Police Interrogations, & Student Rights


2010

Informants, Tips, & Reasonable Suspicion 

SROs, Safe Schools, and the Interagency Agreement

Video Surveillance: The Right to Privacy & Safe Schools

What's the Law on Misconduct & Bullying?


2009

2009 Laws That Affect Safe Schools & Student Rights

Cell Phones & The Fourth Amendment

Special Education Students and Their Safety

The Safe Schools Movement & SRO Liability


2008

 School Safety Current Legal Reform

 SROS & Campus Codes of Conduct

Student Searches

 

2007

Fine-tuning the Educator/SRO Relationship

Safe Schools, Information Sharing & FERPA